Everyday Mindfulness

Hmm, starting this thread was a sudden idea, so I don't know if it's really going to go anywhere...

I'm ending my day today, feeling somewhat stressed about the day ahead.

It's silly, really, because nothing particularly stressful is happening tomorrow, but I do have 3 important commitments, that I must fulfil, and that is making me feel a little pressured.

The whole week (and the weeks before this one, actually) has/ have been very full of commitments too, so that always makes me feel "pressure" and like I have little room to breathe, to relax, to dawdle, to do useless things, to just "let things happen".

I think at the moment I feel that kind of "alarm bells" feeling where I think "Oh, oh, I'd better have a break soon, or I'm going to get really tense/ resentful/ b*tchy/ feeling off-centre".

I would really like to cancel some commitments at the moment, to reduce my workload - at least for a few days - so that I feel more in-tune, in-flow again.

Do others find themselves starting and ending their day thinking about what is ahead of them? I found some (slightly weird/ esoteric) guided mediations by a woman called Caroline Myss a few months ago, that I quite like, because they really get you thinking (and feeling) about what the day ahead or the day just gone is/was about and help you focus on what your intentions are and how to best have your day be the expression of you and your life.

I really like that, because I find it so easy for my days (and hence my life) to be gobbled up by all and sundry work, chores, commitments, etc...

I would like to use my first-thing-in-the-morning and last-thing-at-night times to feel more centred and to remind myself of what I want to do and what I want my life to be about.

Okay, thanks for hearing me on this. It's much appreciated.

I guess I will do the Caroline Myss guided evening meditation now. It's not ideal, but it's a relatively useful tool, I find.

Metaphysical Me wrote:I really like that, because I find it so easy for my days (and hence my life) to be gobbled up by all and sundry work, chores, commitments, etc...

I would like to use my first-thing-in-the-morning and last-thing-at-night times to feel more centred and to remind myself of what I want to do and what I want my life to be about.

This seems to be modern life doesn't it? I saw a great quote by Rick Hanson yesterday that said something like. " Modern life has taken our fidgety, restless brains and fed them steroids". That's about right I reckon. We have paleolithic hardware, and we are living in a modern world full of distractions; it presents problems.

Because of work, I have recently changed my meditation regime from one half hour sit to two twenty minute sits. One first thing in the morning, and one in the evening when I get home. It has its pros and cons. I really don't think you can get as 'deep' in a twenty minute meditation, but it does bookend the day nicely, and I think that a meditation close to bedtime is really good for sleeping.

Starting the day, yes. It takes me ages to wake up so I often end up snoozing/ruminating negative stuff about the day ahead and my life in general.

Once I get up and start doing stuff it lessens as my mind is focused on other things. But this is not being mindful so it's a positive negative if that makes sense.

Mindfulness on waking, as described in Chapter 8 of FPIAFW, is proving disastrous for me. When I wake up, I need to get out of bed as soon as possible before the clouds begin to settle on me: scoot off and make a cup of tea before they find me. Lying there, as recommended in the book, taking my breaths and noting what I'm sensing, feeling and thinking, is making things a lot harder. It feels like I'm waving to the depression clouds and saying: come here, land on ME! I feel I'm guaranteeing a low start to the day that I might otherwise manage to avoid.

It's funny, I am the exact opposite. I love meditating first thing. See my recent post in experienced.

yoga and 30 minutes meditation for me most days, except saturday when i do a 40 minute body scan.
but then i'm not in a position to work yet.
usually 20 -30 minutes self compassion at night
so no worrying about the day or days ahead.
today is usually bad enough